How do sports help A student's academics?
Across the nation it is agreed that a good education is needed in order to be successful in this country. "Research shows that people who play high school sports get better jobs, with better pay. Benefits that last a lifetime," said Kevin Kniffin (2014) in his article for the New York Times, High School Athletes Gain Lifetime Benefits. Why is it that high school student athletes get better jobs than non-athletes? It's because of the benefits they reap from committed participation on the sports team. The influence athletics have on a young athlete's life show in various ways. Some of these ways show in schoolwork, life style and choices, and in relationships with other people.
Schoolwork |
A study looked at by A. Rosewater (2009) shows that physical activity is healthy for the brain by increasing the brain waves, thereby allowing it to take in more information and not only comprehend the material, but also retain in. This means that not only will the brain be able to understand the information it is presented with, it's also able to remember it and apply it to everyday life. Sports encourage this brain activity which in turn assists in making athletes' studies more successful than non-athletes.
Proof that this is true is shown in test scores and GPA. Tradeau and Shephard (2008) looked at a sample of students, and compared athletes to non-athletes. The result showed that athletes had higher test scores and a higher GPA than non-athletes. Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise (2007) looked at a sample of students also, to which they discovered that students active in sports throughout high school developed better skills in mathematics, science, social studies, and language arts (Chen, n.d.). Book smarts are only part of the perks associated with being active on a sports team, but they are still very important. Knowledge like this will be a good asset when applying for a college and when deciding what career to have for the rest of your life. It all ties in together: whatever decisions are made in high school will most likely affect what happens in life after high school - so taking advantage of the benefits associated with participating in a sport is the best option. |
Life Style and Choices
Looking at research done by Rees and Sabia (2010), it's discovered that student athletes have a much better understanding of what is expected of them in order to participate in sports. Rees and Sabia (2010) found that athletes have higher aspirations in their high school careers so they spend more time on their homework than non-athletes. They also found that athletes tend to have a better attitude about their studies and have more self-discipline.
Q. Walker (2014), author of the Hartford Courant, noticed that student athletes know that in order to keep participating on the team, they need to maintain certain grade expectations set up by the school. Walker (2014) claims that since they know this, they have the motivation needed to make better decisions like staying in school and completing homework. "[The students know that] playing the game is a privilege, not a right..." said Walker (2014) in his article, which gives the idea that students must be aware of the school's power over their sports careers. Some other benefits Walker (2014) noticed athletes develop and practice include good work ethic, motivation to do better, motivation to graduate at the higher percentile of the class, a positive mindset, improved academic performance, time management skills, and self-confidence. Bowen and Hitt (2013) conducted a study within the Ohio public schools over a five year course in order to determine the value of student athletics programs in high school. What they found was student athletes showed more school commitment, lower drop-out rates, and had a much higher chance at graduating. Student athletes make better choices in school so that they can participate in the sports they love and be with the people they enjoy working with. This persistence and determination carries on throughout the rest of their lives which will make them a better contribution to society in the work force. |
"Playing is a privilege, not a right..."
-Walker |
Relationships |
Developing positive relationships with the right people can help for the future and may just help to get that letter of recommendation for college later on. When applying for a job, putting down references who can vouch that you're a hard worker and never give up will help you're chances at landing that job. Positive relationships are needed in life.
Relationships with the school occur because of sports. Schools are acknowledging that students tend to favor sports over homework, so they've set up expectations of the student athletes, as discussed by Walker (2014) in the Life Style and Choices section of this webpage. Schools are also adding sports to their mission statements. The National Federation of State High School Activity Association's mission statement says, "...participation and sportsmanship develop good citizens through interscholastic activities which provide equitable opportunities, positive recognition and learning experiences to students while maximizing the achievement of educational goals" (Gould, n.d). What that is basically saying is the skills students learn by participating in sports will make them a better contribution to society. The community and student athletes also develop a relationship. Newspaper journalists will attend games, take pictures, and write articles on the team and will occasionally interview outstanding players, thereby developing a good relationship. Because of this, people in the community may recognize an athlete on the streets or in a job interview and remember seeing their name in the paper associated with their school's sport team. Bowen and Hitt (2013) say that because of this relationship, the schools get an increase in social capital, meaning more community members will pay to see games taking place at the school. Schools also get more recognition by having a good team, which all comes down to positive relationships. Peer-to-peer relationships and coach-to-athlete relationships have to good ones if the sports season is to be successful. Drama and disagreements can result in a negative experience and may contribute to the "risk" side of sports. If healthy relationships are developed between the athletes and with the coach(es), then it's reasonable to say that the athletes will enjoy themselves by playing in the sport and will continue to play throughout their high school career and maybe even college. By having these positive relationships, it sets up a good atmosphere to learn and have fun doing it. |
Photo 1: Retoucher07030, High School Sports 2, CC BY-NC
http://retoucher07030.deviantart.com/art/High-School-Sports-2-82279206
Photo 2: Onderwijsgek, CC BY-SA
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cito_Eindtoets_Basisonderwijs.JPG
Photo 3: KF, Test, CC BY-SA
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Test_(student_assessment).jpeg
Photo 4: Ralph Arvesen, Volleyball, CC BY 2.0
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rarvesen/8636387266/
Photo 5: Pete Nowakowski, Brenden Mozak with a thank you..." CC BY 2.0
https://www.flickr.com/photos/petenowakowski/8058895625/
Photo 6: Pierre Yves-Beaudouin, Goal Celebration, CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20121216_PSG-ASSE_54.jpg
Bowen, D.H., & Hitt, C. (2013, October 2). High-school sports aren't killing academics. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/10/high-school-sports-arent-killing-aacademics/280155/?single_page=true
Chen, G. (n.d.). 10 reasons why high school sports benefit students. Retreived from http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/433
Gould, D. (n.d.). Are high school sports good for kids? Retrieved from http://www.educ.msu.edu/ysi/coaches/ask/2.htm
Kniffin, K. (2014, October 22). High school athletes gain lifetime benefits. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/10/21/taking-sports-out-of-school-2/high-school-athletes-gain-lifetime-benefits
Rees, D., & Sabia, J.J. (2010). Economics of education [Review of the journal Sports participation and academic performance: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health]. 29, 751-759. Retrieved from http://www.elsevier.com/locate/econedurev
Rosewater, A. (2009, February). The 2009 Team-Up for Youth Monograph Series, Learning to play and playing to learn: Organized sports and educational outcomes. Retrieved October 2014 from Team-Up for Youth Website: http://www.teamupforyouth.org
Tradeau, F., & Shephard, R.J. (2008, February). Physical education, school physical activity, school sports and academic performance. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 5, doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-5-10
Walker, Q. (2014, September 4). Playing sports benefits young athletes in many ways. Hartford Courant. Retrieved from http://www.courant.com
http://retoucher07030.deviantart.com/art/High-School-Sports-2-82279206
Photo 2: Onderwijsgek, CC BY-SA
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cito_Eindtoets_Basisonderwijs.JPG
Photo 3: KF, Test, CC BY-SA
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Test_(student_assessment).jpeg
Photo 4: Ralph Arvesen, Volleyball, CC BY 2.0
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rarvesen/8636387266/
Photo 5: Pete Nowakowski, Brenden Mozak with a thank you..." CC BY 2.0
https://www.flickr.com/photos/petenowakowski/8058895625/
Photo 6: Pierre Yves-Beaudouin, Goal Celebration, CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20121216_PSG-ASSE_54.jpg
Bowen, D.H., & Hitt, C. (2013, October 2). High-school sports aren't killing academics. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/10/high-school-sports-arent-killing-aacademics/280155/?single_page=true
Chen, G. (n.d.). 10 reasons why high school sports benefit students. Retreived from http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/433
Gould, D. (n.d.). Are high school sports good for kids? Retrieved from http://www.educ.msu.edu/ysi/coaches/ask/2.htm
Kniffin, K. (2014, October 22). High school athletes gain lifetime benefits. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/10/21/taking-sports-out-of-school-2/high-school-athletes-gain-lifetime-benefits
Rees, D., & Sabia, J.J. (2010). Economics of education [Review of the journal Sports participation and academic performance: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health]. 29, 751-759. Retrieved from http://www.elsevier.com/locate/econedurev
Rosewater, A. (2009, February). The 2009 Team-Up for Youth Monograph Series, Learning to play and playing to learn: Organized sports and educational outcomes. Retrieved October 2014 from Team-Up for Youth Website: http://www.teamupforyouth.org
Tradeau, F., & Shephard, R.J. (2008, February). Physical education, school physical activity, school sports and academic performance. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 5, doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-5-10
Walker, Q. (2014, September 4). Playing sports benefits young athletes in many ways. Hartford Courant. Retrieved from http://www.courant.com